ISLAMIC LAW CALLS FOR DEATH BY STONING OF WOMAN.
Catholic movie review - The Stoning of Soraya M.
By Harry Forbes and John Mulderig - Catholic News Service
Thursday, 25 June 2009
Just last year, a Pakistani couple was stoned for adultery, a Somali woman met a similar fate on the same charge, and two Iranian men were executed in this excruciating manner. Five of the world's predominantly Muslim countries, as well as about one-third of Nigeria's 36 states, still include stoning among the penalties in their criminal codes.
This
barbaric practice is depicted unflinchingly in "The Stoning of Soraya M."
(Roadside/Mpower), a compelling, often moving film version of Freidoune
Sahebjam's 1994 best-seller, based on an actual incident in 1986. Set in a
remote Iranian village, the narrative charts a harrowing chronicle of oppression
and community corruption.
The 1979 Iranian revolution made Shariah -- the ancient collection of laws
derived from the Quran -- the template for the nation's civil legislation. As a
result, adultery, which under the shah was merely punished with fines or
community service, became a capital offense.
The film shows how, seven years after the monarch's ouster, philandering husband
Ali (Navid Negahban) was anxious to be rid of his devoted wife, Soraya (Mozhan
Marno), so he would be free to marry a 14-year-old girl. But, as we see, Soraya
resists a divorce, fearing it will mean economic ruin for her and her four
children. (The real-life Soraya was the mother of seven.)
So Ali falsely accuses Soraya of breaking her wedding vows, knowing full well
that, if convicted, she will be stoned. Soraya's unlikely lover, Ali claims, is
mild-mannered widower Hashem (Parviz Sayyad), for whom, at Ali's own suggestion,
Soraya has been working as a housekeeper, while helping to care for his mentally
impaired son.
Weak-willed Ebrahim (David Diaan), the mayor of their village, is troubled by
the flimsiness of the case. But the revolution has left real power in the hands
of the local mullah (Ali Pourtash), a former con man whose shady past Ali
threatens to uncover. (In reality, the mullah's pre-revolutionary crime was
child molestation.)
Zahra (Shohreh Aghdashloo), Soraya's courageous aunt -- who openly yearns for
what she believes were the more civilized days of the shah -- passionately
resists the mounting conspiracy, boldly confronting Soraya's accusers.
But
Soraya ignores Zahra's warnings. She's committed to her family, including her
two sons, even though one, under his father's macho tutelage, treats her with
gross disrespect, while even the other, more sensitive boy finds himself tested
by his mother's ordeal, with dismaying results.
The story is told in flashback as Zahra recounts these events to French-Iranian
journalist Sahebjam (Jim Caviezel, who was Jesus in Mel Gibson's "The Passion of
the Christ"). At the film's opening, Sahebjam's car breaks down near the
village.
Soraya's fate at the hands of the self-righteously frenzied community is
presented in such a way that some -- including producer Stephen McEveety, who
also co-produced Gibson's film -- might glean parallels to Christ's final hours.
Betrayed, falsely condemned and abandoned by all except the faithful Zahra,
Soraya -- Farsi for "peace be with you" -- is handed over to the bloodthirsty
mob, in the midst of which ragamuffin youngsters rhythmically beat stones
together as they anticipate her death. Soraya is immobilized -- buried up to the
waist with her hands bound behind her -- and exposed, not only to the hurled
rocks, but to the insults and denunciations of her murderers.
The ugly episode certainly brings to mind Jesus' iconic words about casting the
first stone (John 8:7).
Aghdashloo is majestic as the outraged matriarch, her sincere and peaceable
religious convictions standing in sharp contrast to the fanaticism of the
townsfolk, which steadily mounts into a mass hysteria reminiscent of the Salem
witch trials. Zahra comforts Soraya with the promise that "God and paradise are
waiting for you." Marno, for her part, evokes deep pathos, bewildered yet stoic.
Director Cyrus Nowrasteh's script, co-written with wife Betsy Giffen Nowrasteh,
takes an admirable stand against injustice while promoting women's equality and
respect for life and human dignity.
Nearly all the men in the town, though, are seen as either malicious or weak.
Ali and the mullah are outright villains. Ebrahim tries at least to ensure a
fair trial and Hashem initially denies Ali's lie. Yet Ebrahim yields to the
mullah and the pressure of the rabble, while Hashem knuckles under when
threatened with the loss of his son's custody. Even Soraya's own father
eventually joins those calling for her death.
The
disturbing violence and torturous suffering that attend the climax are conveyed
extremely graphically, though one can easily imagine the reality would be far
worse. While this approach effectively conveys the horror of Soraya's death, it
precludes recommendation for many viewers -- including teens -- who might
otherwise have benefited from an opportunity to explore themes of justice, faith
and moral tenacity.
Some viewers at a special Catholic pre-screening -- while recognizing the
significance of the subject matter -- found it difficult to watch, much like
Gibson's film, a majestic work made uncomfortable for some by what the Office
for Film & Broadcasting described as its "visual grisliness." Others felt this
movie would have been enhanced by a nonfiction postscript of Iranian women
bearing witness that Soraya's experience was not, alas, unique.
In sum, a hauntingly powerful tale whose dramatically justified depiction of
violence may restrict its appeal, even as its treatment of a serious
contemporary issue makes all too vivid a pressing global concern.
In Farsi, with subtitles, the film contains a sequence of intense violence,
torture, sexual references and one rough and a few crude and crass terms. The
USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is L -- limited adult
audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The
Motion Picture Association of America rating is R -- restricted. Under 17
requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
Forbes is director and Mulderig is on the staff of the Office for Film &
Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Jesus Christ said: "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first." John 8:7